Beyond the Clouds
by JayOp
Summary: Takes place after season 4. Sam helps Dean comes to terms with his feelings. But is that enough? Can Dean make the most of his brother's help for a chance at happiness with the one person he never knew he wanted it with?
1. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

With a splash of cold water, Dean was once again ready for action. Even though the two Winchester brothers had just finished a case, Dean did not yet feel satisfied. He wanted more; another ghost, another demon, another anything. Anything to keep his brain busy and the thoughts that plagued his mind tucked deep away in the back of his consciousness. His usual MO when it came to dealing with things.

"Alright Sammy," he said, walking out of the bathroom, "What's next?"

Sam looked up from his bed in their less than perfect motel room, "What's next?" He repeated with a tone of disbelief, "How about sleep?"

"Nah," Dean scoffed, giving his younger brother his typical playful grin, "We can sleep when we're dead."

"Which you were not to long ago," Sam pointed out.

"Details, details."

Dean strolled over to the other bed in the room and sank down into it. Sure he had been brought back from hell not very long ago, but that did not mean that he was going to take his life easy. He wanted to get back out there and make up for the lost time. He wanted to feel alive again. People, like always, needed saving. And he, like always, needed to save them. Of course, this time, the whole world needed saving. Lucifer, the devil himself, was free and God only knows where causing God only knows what kind of havoc. Not to mention it was Sam who let him out of the cage but also Dean who failed to stop Sam from even getting there in the first place. So not only was the world in desperate need of saving, but this time the two brothers had actually fallen into peril because of them. If only he had killed Ruby when he first met her, none of them would be in this problem right now.

"What's wrong?" The younger hunter asked. His eyes shining with worry for his older brother. "You've been on edge ever since Cas-"

"Nothing is wrong." Dean quickly interrupted, cutting his brother off. "I just want to ya know – keep busy."

"Why?"

"Because that's what we do. We ignore our feelings and keep busy."

"No. That's what you do." Sam corrected, giving his brother a cool look before turning back to his pillow. "You need to sleep too, ya know."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Its not like we are getting anywhere on the whole Satan front anyway."

It was true. They had not made any progress on locating the devil or more importantly, how to kill him. Who cared where Lucifer was if they could not do anything to stop him. And since the only person with actual insight on these things, had vanished in an attempt to find God, the two hunters were pretty much on their own and out of luck. Keeping busy with cases was just one way for Dean to keep his mind off the facts that they had squat on stopping the apocalypse. Besides, it felt good to help people again, like the old days. When it was just him and Sammy hunting ghosts and monsters – no world threatening crisis on the horizon, no impending doom looming over there heads. It was just good ol' fashioned hunting, slaying and exorcizing. Or as the two brothers liked to call it: Fun.

Dean moved himself up the bed, pillow under head, in an attempt to get comfortable. The day had been long, and the hunt had been a tough one; Nothing new, just another angry spirit that they had to lay to rest. The victim had been murdered, leaving behind a ghost that only knew pain, rage and a thirst for revenge. It was another case where they had to save low lives that probably deserved to die. But who were they to make that judgment? It was not like they were God or anything. And with that Dean's thoughts turned. God…Lucifer…angels…Castiel…

The thought of the angel made his shoulder, the mark Castiel had made on him when he lifted him up from hell, tingle. It had been doing that recently whenever the hunter was thinking about the warrior of the Lord. Dean shook his head. No, he thought. He would not go back down that path again. That train of thought had left the station and he did not want it back. He did not want to think of Cas disappearing on them again, just when they needed him most. He did not want to think of how hurt he was from the betrayal. And he especially did not want the think of how much he mi-

This caused the hunter to spring up in the bed. There was clearly not going to be any sleep tonight. Standing up, he walked across the room, grabbed his jacket and headed out. Jumping into his baby, the hunter sped down the street looking for the nearest bar. Finding one to his liking, Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot. The night was cool and the sky was clear. Looking up for a brief moment after exiting his car, Dean let his mind wander.

Where was Cas now? Was he still looking for God? And why was he not answering any of his prayers? It was not like Dean needed him or anything. He just wanted to make sure he was okay. They had been through a lot together and just like any other friend, Dean was worried about him. Cas had saved both him and Sam on more than one occasion and that at least warranted a check up, though it was not like it was possible for Dean to actually check up on the angel. But Cas did have their cell phone numbers now, and actually used them since he was cut off from heaven and running low on power. He could at least call to let them know; let Dean know, he was okay. That was all he really wanted, to have the peace of mind that his angel was okay. Hold up, _his_ angel? Dean shook his head for what felt like the thousandth time, clearing his head of all the confusing thoughts that were running through his mind. Fixing his eyes on the bar again, he quickly walked inside and sat down at the bar.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked.

"Beer," Dean said, looking up and noticing her, "Please." He added with a smile, realizing that she was just his type: Female.

"Coming right up," She smiled at him, her deep blue eyes flashing.  
Same color as Castiel's, the hunter absently thought as his shoulder started to misdirect his attention again. Wait. Why was he thinking of Cas when this beautiful woman was standing in front of him. Her long blonde hair fell down her back, highlighting her small, thin frame. Her soft smile made a jolt of electricity run down his spine, and Dean could not help but give his trade mark half grin back.

"Thanks." Dean said when she had returned with his beer.

"So what's the problem," She looked at him, her head slightly tilted. "I can see it all over your face." As she spoke she lowered herself down so that she was leaning on the bar, opposite of Dean, clearly trying to show off her…assets and conveying her interest in the good looking man in front of her. Ah, the power of the half grin.

"Life," Dean answered, keeping the smile on his face, partly because he liked where this conversation was headed and partly because the tilt of her head and the color of her eyes were so familiar. He felt comfortable with them, instantly at peace.

"How very vague," She smiled back, "What's your name?"

"Dean."

"Well Dean, I'm Amber. If you wanna talk, there's no one better than a bartender. Like a shrink with booze, half the price too." She gave him a casual wink and walked off across the room to serve another customer that was calling her over. Dean felt a small twinge of sadness at seeing her move away, taking the familiar head tilt and blue eyes with her, but he quickly got over it.

"Oh I just might take you up on that." Dean spoke to himself, enjoying the view he was getting as she walked away.

/

Dean slowly walked outside the bar for some fresh air. Not long after his initial conversation with the bartender, or Amber, he had grown bored with her. It was the same thing he had seen every time; Perfect body, perfect smile and perfectly dull. There was no mystery and a lack of excitement about her. The feeling Dean got from her deep blue eyes and the way she tilted her head when she talked about things she didn't understand only lasted so long. They weren't the same as…other people's eyes. For some reason he craved a challenge. He wanted more from a person than just looks now, and he knew that was more than Amber was capable of giving him. Tilting his head up to look at the sky once more, Dean wondered when those qualities had become important to him. He had not previously cared about anything other than getting laid. In fact, it would probably do him some good right now. Get his mind even further from the troubles that plagued him.

But something about it just did not feel right. It felt empty, even more so than usual. All of his one night stands felt meaningless because that is exactly what they were. Nothing more than a physical escape from the emotional baggage that the hunter had been carrying around with him since…well since he could not even remember when. There always seemed to be some huge weight on his shoulders. Be it taking care of Sam, taking care of a case, or like now, taking care of the world.

It had only been a few weeks, maybe a month, since Cas had told the boys his plans to search for God and then promptly vanished. And it was not like he wasn't used to not hearing from the angel, but for some reason this time it felt different to Dean. He couldn't pin point why exactly that was, but it was probably due to the fact that the fallen angel had more or less cut the two Winchesters off. They had no way to contact him, and he clearly was not concerned with getting in touch with them. Dean's eyebrows bunched and a frown formed on his face at this thought. Did Cas not care about them anymore or was he just too busy with his search to at least give them updates on his progress. In the past Cas would always come when Dean called, not to mention all the times he showed up on his own. Unexpected or uninvited.

Either way, Dean didn't have a choice in the matter. Like it or not, he was left sitting here with nothing but a faint memory of the angel in his shoulder. Not enough to cause any physical discomfort, but just enough to keep him aware of the angel's missing presence. The hunter wasn't even sure why this bothered him so much in the first place. Maybe Dean was actually starting to consider the fallen angel part of the family. And when a family member goes missing, of course you're going to be worried about what's happening to him. Or at least, that's what Dean told himself.

"Dean."

The hunter spun on his heels, snapping out of his thoughts and back to reality.  
"Whoa Sammy," the older brother had come to face his brother who seemingly appeared out of no where. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Sam spoke, his voice full of sympathy, like he knew what Dean was thinking. Sam had always been good at reading his brother. "Are you okay?"

"No you just scared the crap outta me."

"No, jerk. I mean are you really okay?" The younger brother continued.

"Yeah Sam, I told you I was fine earlier." Dean sighed. Knowing that he might as well be talking to a wall because there was no way Sam was going to let up on the issue.

"Yeah well, I don't think you meant it." Sam countered, giving his brother his trademark puppy dog eyes. Just like Dean's signature smile that worked on all the women, Sam had his signature droopy eyed puppy dog face that always worked on Dean. Almost compelling him to tell Sam just about anything he wanted to know.  
"Ah well…" Dean tried to explain, but seemed at loss for words, "I dunno, Sammy. I'm just not feeling right about things lately."

"About what things?" The younger hunter asked.

"Castiel!" Dean relented, "Cas! Like he goes through all the trouble of helping and saving us for the past couple months, drags me outta hell, and now all of a sudden he's gone? No phone call, angel message no nothing!"

Dean let his inner thoughts pour out to his younger brother. He hadn't even been fully aware himself how much the whole situation had gotten to him until he actually heard himself talking about it, "Why even bother to tell us you're gonna look for God if you're not even gonna keep us in the loop, ya know?"

Sam gave his brother a sympathetic smile and reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure he's okay Dean."

"He better be." Dean shot back a serious look toward his younger brother, "I don't think I can go through another whole betraying thing again. There's just too much going on this time."

"Is that really what this is about, Dean?" Sam asked carefully, knowing that this was going to be a tough conversation to navigate with his emotionally guarded brother.

"What do you mean?" Dean turned away, once again looking at the stars.

"I mean you've been on edge ever since Cas told us he was going to look for God and not because that's what he's doing. But…um…you…do you…" Sam fumbled with his words.

"Do I what?" Dean turned back, staring at his brother.

"Well, uh…do you…miss him?" Sam finally spat it out.

"M-miss him?" The other hunter almost fell over.

"Yeah, I know you guys have like a special…'pulled me out of hell' bond thing goin' on and I think you're just all upset cause you don't want to lose him again."

"Just what're trying to say Sammy?" Dean raised his hand and pointed at his brother accusingly, "I'll have you know I was just about to bang that bartender – that _girl_ bartender - in there before you came along with all this emotional crap!" With that he made a bee-line for the door, not sure who he was trying to convince more, himself or his brother.

"Dean!" Sam cut him off, grabbing his arm and turning his older brother to face him. "I didn't mean it like that, I just meant you know, you miss him, like you would miss me if I suddenly disappeared."

"Ah, who said I would miss you." Dean shrugged, knocking his brother's hand off him playfully. "C'mon, let's go get some sleep." He smiled and turned back towards his car, hoping it would be enough to quell Sam's curiosity.

"Yeah, okay." Sam sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any further with his brother tonight.

/

Back that the hotel, Dean was still having trouble falling asleep. But instead of having the comforting sight of the stars above him, he was forced to stare up at the dirty ceiling of their room. He was trapped there too, knowing that if he got up again Sam would be right on his heels armed with another emotional talk. One of those for the night was sufficient enough. Already what Sam said was slowly sinking into his head causing undesired thoughts to bubble to the surface, making Dean uncomfortable. Did he really miss Cas like that? No, it couldn't be. Why would he? It wasn't like Cas missed him…

Sam was right about their bond though, that part was true enough. Dean had felt it since the moment Cas had pulled him from Hell. The angel had even admitted it himself. And strangely enough, that was a comforting though; knowing that the fallen angel felt their bond as well, it wasn't just a one sided thing Dean had imagined in his head. Despite what Cas had done against them in the past, it felt good to know that Cas was at least on their side this time. A guilty feeling settled in the hunter's stomach as he realized that Cas being cast out of heaven made him slightly happy. Though he would never admit it to anyone, it was true. It meant that the fallen angel did not have anywhere else to go and needed the hunters; he needed Dean. It was a small comfort to at least feel like the angel would eventually come back to him.

With that thought running across his mind, comforting him, Dean finally was able to pass out. If only for a few hours, like usual.

/

"I'll have the special, side of bacon please." Dean smiled at the pretty waitress as she took his order. "Love me some bacon." He turned his smile to his little brother sitting across from him sipping his coffee.

"You're in a better mood," Sam smiled back, taking another sip.

"Yeah, I slept okay for once." Dean responded.

"Does that have anything to do with our little talk?" Sam prodded.

"What talk?" Deciding to play dumb, Dean turned his attention to the waitress who he could see had their breakfast in hand.

"Let me know if you need anything else." She smiled as she placed down their meals.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Dean shot her a smile that made her blush and hurry away.

"Great," Sam said dryly, poking at his breakfast salad, "Now we're never gonna get refills."

"So any cases?" Dean changed the subject.

"I've been busy looking for possible Lucifer activity," Sam said, flipping a newspaper on the table, "But no real luck I guess."

"So where are we headed?"

"Baltimore, Maryland." Sam answered, pointing to an article.

"What's there?" The older hunter asked, biting off a piece of his bacon.

"Says here, some weird stuff has been happening in their harbor," Sam continued, while skimming the paper and taking a fork full of his salad, "Men have been disappearing, sailors, tourists, no real pattern, just male and near the water. Its been four men in the past three weeks."

"Do they have a theory?"

"Looks like some people are saying that they're falling into the water and drowning, but the police haven't recovered any bodies yet, just… ripped articles of their clothing with blood on them." Sam shook his head, brushing his long brown hair out of his eyes.

"That doesn't sound like a drowning to me." Dean scoffed at his eggs. "Let's head out after breakfast."

"Sounds good to me," Sam replied.

They finished their breakfast quickly, paid and hurried out the door. Both hunters knew it was going to be a long drive there. The case they had just finished was in a small town in Kentucky, and even with Dean's impatient driving they were still going to be stuck in the car for a while. Dean never minded long car rides, it meant more time with his baby, but this time he had a nagging suspicion that Sam would start up another feelings talk. And this time there would be no where to run. And he was right. It only took about an hour into their drive when Sam started in on him.

"Did you think about what I said last night, Dean?" Sam started, turning his head towards his brother.

"What did you say?" Dean dodged, wanting to avoid this conversation.

Sam rolled his eyes, knowing his brother all too well. "About Cas," He reminded, tilting his head towards him. "About why you've seemed so upset the past couple weeks."

Dean's hands tightened around the steering wheel, their speed picking up a little as his nervousness made him push the gas petal down a little further toward the floor of the car. None of this went unnoticed by Sam, indicating to him that he had hit a nerve, making him thing that he was right about the whole issue. Dean missed Castiel.

"It's okay if you do," the younger brother offered, trying to ease Dean into the conversation, knowing full well Dean's motto was to avoid feelings at all costs, "I miss him too, even though he thinks I'm an abomination."

"You do?" Dean looked over, his grip slightly loosening.

"Yeah, sure," Sam continued, thinking he was finally getting some where with his emotionally stunted older brother, "I mean it was nice having him back on our side, don't you think?"

Dean took the bait, getting fired up and forgetting about his golden rule about avoiding how he was feeling, "Yeah, it's not even about him not being here, I just would like…" he trailed off, staring down the road with an intense looking in his hazel eyes.

"Would like to know…?" Sam nudged his older brother, encouraging him to continue.

"…to know he's okay, ya know?" The older hunter sighed, "We were all in some pretty deep shit and with him cut off from heaven we're the only ones that he can turn to for help. I mean, damn, Sammy. That's gotta be a big shock."

"I'm sure if he need's help he'll call, Dean." Sam tried to console his brother, seeing the worry that washed over his face, "He's been around for hundreds of years and not to mention he's a trained warrior of God, he'll be okay."

"I know…I just…don't know…"

"Don't know what?"

"I don't really want to talk about this anymore Sam," Dean said, finality in his voice that said the conversation was over.

"C'mon Dean," Sam pursued anyway, ignoring the glare his older brother gave him, "You've been sulking around for like two weeks now and that's the only thing I can think of."

Dean laughed, which surprised Sam at first, "Have you forgotten about the whole end of the world bullshit we started, Sammy? I'd said that's a reason to 'sulk'" He mocked.

"Don't try to play that card on me," The younger brother threw back, "You never get worked up about stuff unless it's personal."

"The apocalypse isn't personal?!"

"Dean!"  
"Sam!"

They had reached a stale mate. It was clear that Dean did not want to give up anymore information about how he was feeling concerning Cas, and it was also evident that Sam was not done with the topic either. He was determined to get to the bottom of it, convinced that if Dean just talked about it, he would feel better.

"You know he didn't leave because of you." Sam said, cutting his eyes away from his brother to stare out the window at the passing landscape and folding his arms.

"What?" Dean sighed, a slight tone of exhaustion in his voice.

"He rebelled against heaven for you. He'll be back. That's all I am going to say." Sam finished, resting his head back on the head rest and closing his eyes.

Dean let out a sigh of relief, happy this conversation was finally over. But once again, Sam had gotten the final word in that left Dean's mind reeling. He secretly hoped that his little brother was right. He hoped that Cas really would come back, because like it or not it was becoming more and more clear to the seasoned hunter that he apparently needed Castiel in his life just as much as he thought the fallen angel needed him.

Shaking his head free of these thoughts he wasn't ready to deal with yet, Dean pressed the gas petal down, speeding east towards their destination. A welcome distraction to…whatever was going on with him. All the while his left arm, the hand print Cas had left on him, tingling.

A/N: It's been a while since i've written anything, I feel a bit rusty so bare with me. I hope ya'll like it though. :] No copyright infringement intended.

~Jay


	2. A Deep Blue Desire

Chapter 2: A Deep Blue Desire

After a few more hours of driving, the Winchester brothers finally arrived in the city of Baltimore. It was a clear night, like the one before, and the city air felt heavy. They had checked into a cheap motel near the harbor and were preparing for the day ahead of them. They were going to search the waters and the surrounding areas for clues, witnesses and anything that would help them get a handle on what they were dealing with. The quickly got situated in the room and went to bed, ready for the day of hunting to begin.

The next morning Sam was sitting at the small circular table by the window tapping away at his laptop. He was once again going over the newspaper articles, double checking for any clues he might have missed. Scanning the clippings one more time, he went over the facts again in his head. All missing victims had been male, early to mid thirties, attractive, and they had all been near the water when they disappeared. The only trace evidence that the police had recovered were ripped articles of clothing that had sporadic blood stains on them. It wasn't much to go on, the younger Winchester thought, rubbing his head, but it was a start.

"So," Sam started, turning to look at his brother, who was dragging himself out of bed, "I figured we can go down to the harbor, see if we can talk to anyone who might have seen anything. Might give us a place to start looking into what could have possibly done this."

"Sounds good to me," Dean agreed, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he stood up and stretched. "Tour guides, tourists and anyone working down by the docks."

"Exactly," Sam agreed, "Now take a shower and get moving."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean yawned, "Bitch."

"Jerk."

/

Once Dean was showered and ready to go, they both piled into the Impala and drove down to the docks. After a brief episode of complaints about the high price of parking, the two young men walked along the harbor pathway looking for anyone that might be able to help them. The air was thick with the smells of the city mixed with the water from the harbor.

"So what do we know about the victims?" Dean asked, as the both rounded a corner.

"Not much. Three of them were single, living here alone," The younger hunter answered, "But the last guy had a girlfriend. Maybe one of us should go talk to her."  
"Yes," Dean agreed, "And one of us should go talk to her." He motioned his hand towards an older woman that was leading a group of obvious tourist around. She was walking slow and pointing at the different sights like the boats and submarines that were parked in the harbor.

"Well I call the-" Sam started but was quickly interrupted by his older brother.  
"Yeah Sammy, don't worry about it. I got the girlfriend." Dean patted him on the back, grabbing the file out of his younger brother's hand that contained the information about the victims and hurried off back to the Impala, his signature smile beaming.

"Of course you do." Sam sighed and walked over to join the tour group.

Once he had made his way over to the group, Sam waited for the opportunity to arise where he could get the old woman alone to ask her some questions. She was busy pointing at this and that, explaining different things about the ships in the harbor and their history. She highlighted some of the Baltimore attractions, highly recommending the aquarium. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she told the group that they would be taking an hour break for lunch, and to meet back at their current location to continue the tour. This is what Sam had been waiting for.

"Excuse me," He said as he approached her. "Hi, ma'am, I'm agent Rockfield with the F.B.I., could I ask you a few questions?" As he spoke he quickly flashed her his fake badge.

"Oh of course," The older woman looked surprised, "Whatever about?"

"Well, Mrs…"

"Edith, call me Edith deer,"

"Alright Mrs. Edith," Sam nodded, "I'm sure you've heard about the recent disappearance of several men in this area. Is there anything you might be able to tell me to help the investigation?"

"Oh yes, those poor men," Edith nodded sadly, "I didn't know any of them personally but I heard about them all. It's a scary thought that someone can just slip right into the water and drown." As she spoke she turned to face the harbor's waters, looking out into the distance.

"So you think they were just drowning?"

"What else could they be?" She turned back to Sam, question written all over her face.

"So you haven't noticed anything strange around her lately?"

"Like what?"

"Like anything."

This was the usual dance routine the Winchesters did with the people they interviewed. The person would ask what they meant and the boys would tiptoe around the subject until the person would say something that they could actually use, a hint that could lead them forward on the case. After a few more minutes of this dance, the old woman finally said something that caught Sam's interest.

"Well, ya know," She said, pressing her lips together and running her finger through her gray hair that had fallen in front of her face, "I did hear singing the other morning, when I was walking through the harbor. It was before my tour, and there wasn't anyone else around when I looked. But I could have sworn I heard it coming from the water."

"Singing?" Sam repeated.

"Yes…and when I looked around and didn't see anyone I shrugged it off. Maybe it was someone's radio or something."

"But you said you thought it was coming from the water?" Sam pressed on, hoping there was something else that could help point him in the correct direction.

"Yeah." She confirmed. "Maybe from a boat or something, I'm not really sure."

"Okay. Well, thank you for your time Mrs. Edith." Sam smiled at her and turned to walk away.

"Anytime deer, be careful now." And with that, Sam gave the woman one final smile, and started to walk in the direction of the hotel, hoping that Dean had had more luck then him.

/

Across town, Dean pulled up to a house in his baby. It hadn't taken him long to locate the girlfriend of the missing or possibly dead man. Her name was Jennifer Carter. Dean sat in the driveway for a moment, his mind wandering back to the conversation Sam and he had the previous night before. Reaching up to touch the hand print on his arm, Dean's mind thought once again of Castiel and how he actually did miss the angel. He had gotten used to the man showing up when they needed him or called for him and accepting his help when their cases had gone cold. But now was not the time to think of that. There was something out there in this city hurting people and Dean was going to get the bottom of it and put and end to it. After all, that's what he did best.

Dean exited the car and walked up to the door of the house. He rang the doorbell once, and waited, fixing his tie to make sure he looked the role he was impersonating. After a few moments of waiting, a small woman answered the door. Her deep brown eyes were red and puffy, probably from crying, and she looked like she hadn't slept in a while.

"Yes?" She said through a sniffle.

"Hello, Ms. Carter," Dean started as he gave her an empathetic look, "My name is Wilson, Agent Wilson with the F.B.I., would it be okay if I came in for a moment to ask you a few questions?"

"Do you have ID?" She asked, wiping her face in an attempt to look more presentable in front of what she that was a government agent.

"Yes of course." Dean complied and showed her the fake badge he carried with him.

"Now's really not a good time," she spoke quietly as she inspected the badge.

"It will only take a few minutes," Dean pressed, "Its just standard procedures that need to be followed."

Reluctantly Jennifer agreed and let Dean enter her home. The house was clean; looking like it was not in use, even though clearly Jennifer was living there. There were pictures of her and her missing boyfriend all over the place. They looked happy, Dean thought, wandering if he would ever get what the couple had. It was one of Dean's secrets that he wanted a family. Hell, after all he had done for random people and the world he deserved a little piece of happiness didn't he? Turning his attention back to the sad woman leading him through her home and into the kitchen, Dean couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Her life had been shattered into pieces in one day, and now all she could do was sit her and wait for news of her missing lover. But Dean was used to dealing with these types of things. It was an everyday occurrence for him and his younger brother. Almost every case they worked had them dealing with people who had lost everything. This was no exception.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Dean started the conversation by offering his condolences. "Can you tell me about him?"

They woman took a seat at the kitchen table and motioned for Dean to join her, "Todd was a good man." She said, her voice small and full of pain. "He worked hard, provided for me and always tried to do the right thing."

Taking the seat across from her Dean continued his line of questioning, "Do you know of anyone that would want to hurt Todd?"

The woman looked up, taken a back from the quick turn in the conversation, "H-hurt him? N-no," She stammered, "Everyone loved him. I don't even think I knew of one person who even said a bad thing about him."

"I see." The undercover hunter said, "Do you know what he was doing the night he disappeared?"

"He loved the aquarium," Jennifer explained, "Sometimes he would go there after he got off work. I don't usual get home until late…he doesn't…didn't… like to be home alone…"

"So he liked to watch the fish?"

"Oh yes." She gave Dean a small smile, remembering her boyfriend fondly, "He loved them. He always had a fascination with sea life. We didn't have the money to move out of the city…this was the closest we could actually get to living by the sea."

"And could I see the article of clothing that the police recovered?" Dean asked.

"They tried to give it to me, but I didn't want it," She shook her head, "It was his shirt…it was…ripped up and torn to pieces. I told them to get rid of it."

"I see. Well, thank you for your time." Dean offered her a sympathetic smile while he stood up, allowing her to lead him back to the door. "If you can think of anything else that might be important, please let me know." He finished, handing her his card with one of his many cell phone numbers on it.

Before Dean could leave, Jennifer caught his eyes in hers, "Do…you think someone did this to Todd?" She asked, eyes full of tears about to spill over.

Dean didn't know how to answer her. He couldn't tell her that her boyfriend was probably ripped to shreds by some sort of monster so he simply lied, "We're not sure."

They exchanged goodbyes and Dean exited the house, letting the door shut behind him. While he idly walked back to the car, he once again found himself looking up at the sky. He and caught himself doing that a lot since Castiel left. Somehow he felt hope when he would look up to the stars or into a blue sky full of clouds - probably because the white fluffy clouds reminded him of angels. Not the angels he had come to know in his recent encounters with them, but the hallmark generic angels that the general population thought they were. Castiel was more like that then his selfish dick brothers that had mislead, used, and even hunted down Sam and Dean on more than one occasion.

No Cas was not like them at all. He was more like the clouds in front of Dean now. These clouds looked soft, pure and unblemished, floating high above the world around them; much like Cas. This was at least in Dean's eyes anyway. Dean couldn't help but smile as the thought of Cas resting on a cloud drifted into his mind. It seemed to suit him. Dean couldn't help but relate to Jennifer. The way she was feeling about her boyfriend seemed to be the same way Dean felt about Cas. Having someone there for so long and then suddenly they vanish without a trace, not leaving any indication whether or not they'll ever be heard from again. Letting out a heavy sigh, Dean opened his car door and sat inside, heard it roar to life when he turned the key and started back to the hotel to meet his brother with the sun setting behind those white fluffy 'Castiel' clouds.

/

"Who first?" Dean asked, when he had arrived back at the hotel to see is brother already changed out of his suit and into his jeans and jacket again.

"I'll go." Sam nodded, "I didn't get much though."

"Me either." Dean added, walking into the bathroom to change.  
"So the tour guide I talked to," Sam started to explain, "Didn't know any of the vics. But she did say she heard singing coming from the water."

"That's weird," Dean emerged from the bathroom, dressed once again in his jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket, "Jennifer said her boyfriend had a thing for fish."

"What?" Sam's eyebrow went up.

"The dude liked fish a lot. He was always hanging out at the aquarium." Dean explained further.

Sam rubbed his head, his mind brainstorming possible theories that could explain what was happening in the area, "Sea and songs." Finally it clicked, "Hey you remember when we ran across those sirens?"

"Yeah, what about them?" Dean asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and turning on the T.V.

"Well it was part of their lore that they used to lead men to their deaths with their singing." Sam explained, turning his attention to one of his books that was sitting on the table in front of him, "And since all these men were taken by the water…do you think it could be…mermaids?"

That captured Dean's attention and his head snapped back to his younger brother, "Mermaids?" He repeated.

"Yeah…" Sam trailed off, "Their lore says that they're related to sirens and use the same technique of luring men to them; their singing. It seems like they're the water dwelling cousins of sirens."

"Well at least now we know what we're looking for. I guess." Dean answered, suddenly feeling tired. "We can start looking for them tomorrow."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, turning off his laptop, closing his book and plopping down on his assigned bed.

Neither of them bothered to take off their usual clothes. They both knew it was pointless. They'd be up in a couple hours anyway, getting ready to hunt the supposed mermaids. How they were going to track them down, they had no idea. But both boys drifted off to sleep, letting that problem be left to deal with in the morning.

/

Dean opened his eyes to see Castiel standing in their hotel room in front of him, "Cas?" He blinked, not knowing it was real or not. He moved to place his arms underneath him, propping himself up on the bed. He briefly looked over to see if Sam had noticed the arrival of the angel, but Sam wasn't there. Which was strange, because Sam was not the type of person to just run off in the middle of the night. Not unless Dean had done something to piss him off, which he was pretty sure he had not done this night.

"Hello Dean," Cas spoke, in his normal low tone.

"Cas…where have you been? It's been weeks…" Dean swallowed, trying to hold back the emotion that was threatening to break through in his voice, "And where is Sam?"

"Dean…" Cas seemed to growl, which caught the hunter off guard.

Suddenly Cas appeared over top of Dean. Dean felt a rush of air blow through his hair as he found his personal space being invaded by the winged being. Castiel had gotten so close to him that he could feel the angels warmth radiating off of his body on to his. He could smell the familiar scent that he had come to know by being around the heavenly warrior so much in recent months. "Dean…" He breathed, and Dean could feel the warm air rush out of his mouth and over his own, making him feel light headed.

"C-Cas what are you doing?" Dean asked, still in shock over the sudden situation that he found himself in. He tried to get up and move but the angel had him stuck, trapped by his intense stare. Dean couldn't look away. His green eyes were locked with deep blue ones and he found it impossible to move; almost as if he was being hypnotized. Slowly, Castiel started to lower his head down, inching towards the hunter's face. Dean's lips quivered slightly as his eyes widened. He felt the heat intensify as the fallen angel above him got closer and closer. He couldn't move, he couldn't say anything. And he felt as if he didn't want to either. Dean's eyes were fixed on the angel's lips as they drew closer to his own. He felt himself lick his own in anticipation, a jolt of electricity running down his chest, making his heart skip a beat before heading even further south. The hunter's heart was pounding like crazy. Castiel's lips were so close to his own-

Dean bolted up in bed. Sweat was dripping down his face and he could still feel his heart pounding. It had just been a dream. Dean brought his hand up and ran his fingers over his lips, feeling the moisture from his tongue. It had all felt so real. The contact of skin the two had shared, the extreme arousal that Dean could still feel, all of it. Why was he dreaming of Cas like that? The hunter groaned and rubbed his eyes, his heart rate and brain returning to normal. Opening his eyes again, the hunter began to take in his surroundings. The moonlight shined through their small hotel window, lighting their room. He looked over to make sure Sam was still there and was satisfied when he was. Dean slowly got up and adjusted his leather jacket that he had fallen asleep in and walked towards the door.

Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of the cool night air, attempting to free himself from the confusing thoughts of Castiel. The sky was dark, the light from the city making it hard to see any stars. He could smell the ocean from their hotel door. It smelled sweet. Closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, he could clearly make out the distinct smell of something pleasant. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it was nice. The silence of the night was broken by a sweet sounding voice. He could hear it…singing.

Dean's eyes glazed over. The sudden urge to find the source of the song taking over his mind which in turn took over his body and he found himself trudging towards the harbor. With each step he took towards the water the song grew louder and the scent sweeter. It was impossible to resist now. It was so strong he almost broke out into a run just to get to it faster. Upon reaching the water, he looked to his right and found a woman sitting on the edge of the harbor, her lower half hanging off over the water. She turned and smiled at him, and his heart jumped into his throat. Her hair was a sandy blonde and her skin a smooth copper. Her small frame seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"Come to me…" She breathed and beckoned him with her index finger.

Dean was at this strange woman's mercy. Her voice was just like the song he had followed to the water. He could not resist its power and his mind was spinning, making him unable to think or even see straight. All he could do was obey. Slowly his feet moved and brought him closer to the mysterious woman. It was like his body had a mind of its own. Slowly, the woman reached her hand out, bringing it closer to Dean. He could feel his head spinning and his thoughts turning to mush as it got closer and closer until she finally touched his hand with hers and everything went black.

/

Sam was stretched out on the bed, comfortably drifting in and out of consciousness. He knew that he should get up, but he didn't want to. It was rare that either of the hunters got to sleep well. Even though he knew it wasn't a full night's sleep and he knew he had a lot of research to do to locate where the mermaids were taking their victims, he still did not want to get out of the warm position he found himself in. Rolling over, he opened his eyes to look at the clock. It was only four in the morning. He had only been asleep for a few hours. But something else caught his eye – his brother was missing from the adjacent bed.

Sam rolled his eyes and sat up on his bed. His insomniac brother had probably just got up in the middle of the night again and went to a bar, like he usually did. But upon looking around the room, the young hunter noticed that his car keys were still on the table where he had left them earlier this evening when they both joined up at the hotel. Something wasn't right. Dean wouldn't go anywhere without his baby, especially if he was trolling for girls. Sam picked up his gun and put it in the back of his pants and headed out the door.

The young hunter knew just where to start his search for his older brother. If Dean had left without his car and without his gun, then it was obvious that he had not left under his own free will. Those were two things he never went anywhere without. Sam headed for the water. Dean fit the description every other victim that the mermaids had seduced before; young, good looking and of course male. Not to mention their close proximity to the water. Rounding the corner Sam's suspicion was confirmed. There on the pier lay Dean's favorite leather jacket, the one their father had given him. Sam picked it up, holding it with both of his fists, balling up the fabric in frustration as he turned his eyes to the water. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach because he knew there was nothing he could do for his brother. He did not know where the mermaids lair was nor did he have anyway to find out.

/

Dean could feel a cold hard surface underneath his body when he came to. His head pounded like someone had stuck a giant bell over it and repeatedly pounded it with a hammer for a few hours. Opening his eyes he tried to focus them so he could better see his surroundings. There was a dim light coming from a candle off in the corner, illuminating the room. Once his eyes focused he realized that it wasn't a room at all. The walls were a deep purple and damp. They were covered in rough looking seashells and small wet rocks. Looking down at himself, he could see that he was soaked through his clothes. His wet shirt stuck to his chest making him feel uncomfortable. He didn't have the faintest idea how he ended up in a place like this. Then the sound of dripping water threw him back into reality. He had been taken by the mermaid.

Great, he thought, rolling over on his side in an attempt to see anything. The room, or whatever it was, was small and had nothing in it. The only thing Dean could make out was small opening in the ground that was filled with water. As he watched the opening, he could hear the song that had lured him here again. But this time, it did not have the same effect, probably because he was already captured. The hunter tried to move his arms and legs but it was no use. Even though his senses had recovered from the paralyzing effects of the song his body had not. Then as the song grew louder, the mermaid entered the cave through the water filled hole in the ground.

"Ah, you're awake." She smiled at him, "I always love it when they're awake." She pulled herself out of the entrance of the cave and used her arms to pull herself over to the paralyzed man lying on the cave's floor. Her bottom half was indeed a fish. The aquamarine colored scales glittered in the candle light as she made her way over to Dean. When she reached him, she stuck her hand out and caressed his cheek. Dean shivered as her slimy skin ran over his face.

"So tell me," She traced her fingers over the hunter's lips, "What did you dream about?"

"What?" Dean asked, his eyes blinking in confusion.

The monster giggled, "My song," She explained, "Makes you dream about your deepest, darkest desires in order to…stimulate and arouse the male body. That's when the flavor is at its peek."

"Deepest darkest desires…" Dean repeated in disbelief. He desired Castiel like that? No, that couldn't be. Castiel was Dean's friend, his family. He didn't want Cas like that. Did he?

"You're a good looking one," The monster mused, bringing him crashing back from his thoughts, "I'm going to enjoy eating you." She grinned, showing off her sharp teeth, much like a sharks.

"Yeah well don't get used to the idea, freak." Dean spat at her, "My brother will be here any second to slay your ass."

The creature just giggled, running her fingers through the hunter's hair, "Silly man, there's no way he can get here. There's no way anyone can get here."

"Where are we?" Dean demanded.

"Miles underwater, my love," She sang, "You only made it here alive because I'm a fast swimmer."

No…Dean thought as the realization set in. If he was miles under water there was no possible way for anyone to come and rescue him. Even if they did know where he was or even how to slay the mermaid, they couldn't reach him. Not without a submarine, which he was positive no one he knew had. Slowly the reality of the situation began to sink in. He wouldn't ever see Sam again. He wouldn't see Bobby, Ellen, or Jo ever again. And he wouldn't see Castiel ever again. Just the thought of his name was enough to make the hand print on his arm and shoulder tingle.

"Now," She patted him on the head, "It is time."

Lifting her hand over here head, Dean could see her razor sharp claws that she would use to rip him into pieces. Just like the other victims, nothing would be left of him except a bloody torn up shirt. Just as she swung her hand downwards to deliver the first swipe, a bright light exploded in the room. Instantly the monster in front of Dean disintegrated. Dean was too stunned, and still too paralyzed, to move. What had just happened?

"Hello Dean," A deep gravely voice spoke from behind him.

"C-Cas?" Dean struggled just to say his name. After that dream the mermaid made him have he wasn't even sure if he was ready to see the angel.

"Let me help." His tone was even. He walked over to the impaired hunter and placed his hand on his forehead. As soon as he did, an instant warmth flooded into Dean's body. He could slowly feel himself regaining control of his limbs. After a moment he could completely move again, and stood up, Cas standing right in front of him with those ever intense blue eyes burning into his ever tired green ones.

"How did you find me?" Dean asked, looking at him like it was the first time he'd ever seen him.

"I heard your call."

"What? I didn't call you."

"You've been calling me all night." Castiel corrected.

"I have…?" Dean's voice trailed off as he realized he must have been calling out Castiel's name during his dream. The thought of him moaning the angel's name and then the realization that apparently he desired the other man like he did most women was enough to make him turn a deep shade of red and turn away from his rescuer.

"Come," Cas said, reaching his hand out to Dean, seemingly ignorant to the way Dean was reacting to him. "Sam is worried about you."

Dean just stood there, looking at the outstretched hand, afraid to take it. He was afraid if he touched it Cas would disappear just like the dream. "Where have you been Cas?"

"I told you," the fallen angel tilted his head in slight confusion, "I am searching for God."

"You couldn't check in or at least call?" Dean asked, feeling the pent up emotions inside him spilling out into, "I have been worried, I mean, Sam and I have been worried about you. You save our asses and then just vanish and we don't hear from you in weeks. That's not was friend's do, man."

Castiel was listening intensely, like he always did when Dean talked, "My apologies, Dean. In the future I will make sure to keep you informed of my whereabouts."

"It's not about that Cas," Dean turned, feeling the blood start to rush to his face again, "I mean, did you even miss me - I mean - miss us?"

"I did not miss Sam," The angel said flatly, "But you know I share a much more profound bond with you."

Dean flushed, still refusing to turn around and make eye contact with the angel. "So you'll be around more from now on? No more disappearing? We need you." The hunter's voice started to trail off, losing volume.

"Then I will be around." Castiel confirmed, "Now come." He stretched his hand out again.

"Okay." Dean relented and turned to face the angel. Looking into those deep blue eyes that would've made Dean tell the angel anything, if only he asked, Dean took his hand and they vanished from the small dark cave in a rush of air.

/

A/N: As you can tell, I've kept the general story line from the season but added in my own cases and situations for the characters. I hope you all like it. :]

~Jay


End file.
